Brotherly Love
by Majika923
Summary: Highly AU. E/M paring. Eragon and his friends are normal tenagers with normal problems. Or are they, When Murtagh, Eragon's brother starts hanging around more Can Eragon keep up his loveless charade? Chapies are W.I.P's Changes happen every day
1. Report

:D I would like to thank my awesome beta for being awesome and putting up with my downright lazy mistakes on with the show.

It was the first day of high school; freshman year and everything was going great: All my teachers loved me, I got all the classes I wanted and my best friends, Saphira Drakes and Arya Elf, were in almost all of them. Or, at least, that's what I wanted to happen.

In reality I had one class with Arya and only lunch with Saphira. Worst of all was that I had history with Mr. Galbatorix, the most hated teacher in the whole school. Things couldn't get any worse or so I thought...

That was three years ago and this is now, story of my life:

--------

'Why?!', I thought angrily as I waited for the bus. 'Why did I fall for him?! Of all the people in the world, why him?', I kept thinking as I waited for the bus.

_5 minutes__ later_

"I hate my life!", I huffed as I walked up the steps of the school bus which had just arrived.

"I had that dream again last night.", I said warily as I sat down on the bus next to my best friend, Saphira.

Saphira's worried eyes fell upon my own. "Which one was it this time?", she said unable to keep the interest from her voice.

I sighed unhappily: "I don't want to talk about it."

"That's okay.", she said eyes glimmering. "I'll always be here if you need me."

Don't get me wrong, Saphira is my best friend and has been since first grade when she saved my life: One day when we were out on the playground I fell and cut my hand badly. It was bleeding everywhere and I would have died if she hadn't found me. To this day I still have a nasty scar on my right hand and because of that we've been friends ever sin-

"Eragon!", Saphira said shaking me out of my memories. "Eragon, it's time to get off the bus." That's when I looked around and realized that we were the last people on the bus and the driver was glaring at us angrily. So I hurriedly got up and walked off the bus.

As I was walking towards the school Saphira's boyfriend Thorn called her away to "check some homework". HA! I new very well what he wanted and so did Saphira so she ran off without a second glance.

I was halfway across the lawn when someone grabbed me around my waist and put their hand over my mouth before I could scream.

My eyes widened and I struggled for a few seconds before realizing who it was. I stopped struggling and pulled her arm off me. "What's your problem!", I yelled angrily at my friend Arya. She probably would have said something clever, but by then she was curled up on the grass holding her stomach, laughing her heart out. Thankfully nobody had seen it.

"Y-You should h-have seen your face.", she said through her laughs "P-priceless!", she uttered as her face turned red from laughter.

I stormed off before she could say more.

---------

I just made it to my seat when the bell rang and Mr. Galbatorix didn't look happy.

"I thought I made it clear to you that you are to be in this class and in your seat exactly 30 seconds **before **the bell rings Mr. Marked!", He said angrily. "That was your last chance, and next time it's a week's detention! Do I make myself clear?!", saying the words in such a menacing way it made me flinch.

"Yes sir.", I whispered hunching farther in my seat.

"Good.", he spoke, "Now if you will kindly allow us to start our lesson."

I knew I shouldn't say it but I couldn't stop myself: "It's not my fault you delayed class for something that didn't even break school rules.", I scoffed.

Right then and there I realized I had gone too far, but it was too late now.

His face was turning red from anger and spittle flew from his mouth as he said: "How dare you Mr. Marked, you little brat! Three weeks detention and see me after class."

I paled and stuttered "B-but..."

"No buts.", he said curtly "Now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to teaching my class." And that was that. He turned away as I fumed.

"Okay class, I have a surprise."

The entire class groaned.

"Now, now children don't get to exited.", he said happily. "I'd like for you to put your hands together for my favorite student-"

Before the words even left his lips I knew who it was, and I inwardly groaned again, because only one person could make him happy and his name was-.

"- Murtagh Cursedson.", he finished with a flourish and clapped enthusiastically.

And there he was: My crush, the hottest boy in school, and the person I dream about, standing right there in front of the class thanking Galbix for the introduction. I shuddered, wondering how anyone can get near Galbix, let alone thank him for something.

Suddenly Galby clapped to get everyone's attention "Okay children, yesterday young Morzan here turned in his history report on the civil war and it was so good I thought he could read it to you as a special treat for working so hard."

'Great!', I thought angrily, 'I left my I-pod at home on the charger. Now what am I gonna do?'

Murtagh cleared his throat, getting ready to start.

Well, I said to myself, I could just look at him, but I ruled that out. If I looked at him then I thought about him, and if I thought about him I'd never be able to stand up. So I just closed my eyes and listened trying to forget about who was speaking.

"Okay," Murtagh said. "The civil war was-"

_Beep Beep_ "Please proceed to the nearest exit, in a neat and orderly fashion." _Beep Beep_

'Yes!', I thought as I got to leave with the rest of the class.

But it turns out that I was wrong to be happy. Because as soon as we stepped outside it started raining and we had to stand outside for three hours, all because of a little explosion in the chemistry lab.

The only reason it wasn't so bad was because after about thirty minutes the rain stopped and we got to sit and talk while the firemen and the cleanup crew did their job.

So I went to find my friends and sit in our little group. There's me, Saphira, Arya, my cousin Roran and his girlfriend Katrina.

"I don't get why you don't just talk to him.", Roran stated as we sat down.

"Talk to who?", I said innocently, pretending not to be aware of the fact that he was talking about Murtagh.

"You know who I'm talking about.", he said slightly annoyed. "And don't pretend you don't like him either!"

"You tell him Roran!", Arya said egging us on as usual.

"O shush Arya, and you too Roran.", Saphira said coming to my aid. "Eragon will tell Murtagh if and when he wants to."

I sighed.

"Tell me what?", said someone behind me and the whole group stiffened.

"Nothing.", Katrina said coolheaded as always. "It's a different Murtagh."

"Oh, okay.", said Murtagh suspiciously and walked away.

I sighed again, but this time in relief. Not because Murtagh walked away, but because Arya tended to blurt out random things when Murtagh's around.

"Why didn't you tell him?", Roran asked.

"Because I cant.", I said sadly.

"Why?", he asked again

"You know why Roran!", I said getting angry "You all know why!"

"But who cares.", said Ayra getting into the conversation.

"I care!", I said practically shouting. "I care a lot about the fact that he's-", I choked, starting to sob.

Saphira put her arm around me. "Its okay Eragon.", she said soothingly.

"No it's not.", I whispered "It's not, nor will it ever be okay to love your own brother." And with that I got up slowly to go back into the school.


	2. Dreams and Days

Betas are wonderful :D

"Hey.", Murtagh said as I walked into the kitchen the day after the fight with my friends.

"Hey.", I replied while getting out a box of my favorite cereal: "Dragon O's: A different sugary scale in each bite". Or so the box said.

Murtagh stood and started to walk over while saying: "Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

"What?", I asked looking up and putting the box of cereal down.

"I have something to tell you.", he said, repeating himself coolly. He looked into my eyes and put a hand behind the nape of my neck.

I froze. My mind totally skipped over the fact that he currently has a girlfriend and going right to - OMG he's touching me; he's actually touching me! - and still deeply in thought I felt a pressure on my lips that made me snap to attention.

His lips brushed lightly agents my own. His tongue gently caressing my bottom lip asking for entrance and just as I was about to grant it...

I woke up. While I was breathing heavily and sweating profusely I pinched myself just to make sure I was really awake. Thankfully, I was.

I sighed and got up to take a shower. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep after a dream like that, that I knew from experience. Just out of curiosity though, I looked at my bedside clock to see what time it was: 3:00. 'Great...', I thought. 'Just great.'

-------

After I took a shower and got dressed I walked downstairs to get some breakfast. About halfway down the stairs I heard a creak at the top of the steps and looked up, surprised that anyone could be up at this hour.

I stopped and my eyes widened because there stood Murtagh, looking like a god in low slung pair of sweat pants and no shirt. Oh my god, a shirtless Murtagh was the most heavenly sight I think I'll ever see. His chest was perfectly defined and his nipples were erect in the cool pre-dawn air.

"Hey.", he said, walking down the steps slowly. "I didn't know anybody else got up this early in the morning."

"I don't usually.", I replied, wishing he would kiss me just like in my dream. But sadly it wasn't meant to be.

He stopped a few steps short and asked: "Could you get a move on?" While waving his hands down the steps for emphasis.

"Oh sorry.", I said softly, in awe at the shirtless wonder. I walked the rest of the way down the steps and into the kitchen.

I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming again.

I wasn't.

After that early start there wasn't much else to do. I ate breakfast and because I still had an hour to kill before the bus came at six o'clock I went upstairs to indulge in one of my guilty pleasures.

When I got upstairs I closed and locked my door. Then I got reached under my bed for my drawing kit.

After I set everything up I pulled the covers up over my head and started.

---------------

I stopped when it was about time to leave for the bus stop. I smiled proudly and held up my finished drawing. It looked like my best one yet: Two dragons curling around each other, each one grasping the others tail.

I smiled again and stuck it in a folder with the rest of my drawings and put everything under my bed.

--------

As the bus arrived at school Saphira stopped questioning me about my dream and we exited the bus, on time today with no glares from the bus driver.

On our way into school Saphira was called away by Thorn again, but this time as she left she said: "Bye Eragon, see you at lunch."

Thankfully I made it to class without incident and, even better, I didn't have old Galby today.

I stumbled into my English class just as the bell rang and mumbled an excuse to Oric. You see, my English teacher wants us to always call him by his first name, so we did.

As I sat down Oric started speaking: "Okay students, settle down." and he waited, his hands behind his back, looking as calm as a hitman before his target. We settled down immediately. We always did when he acted like that and he spoke again: "Before we start class today I'd like to read you a poem that a famous 19th century killer wrote." He paused. "Some of you may have heard of him and I'll give an A test grade to whoever can guess who it was after I read it."

He took a breath and began:

_A stilled heart is cold as ice_

_Where art thou thy sole is price_

_A winters day and summers night_

_Sorrow comes in piled heights_

_Old men die_

_Young babes are born_

_Death is shallow full of scorn_

_Dogs of fire cats of ice different species full of lice_

_Leaching blood and bringing cold_

_Graveyard places full of mold_

_Worlds end and start again_

_All must end as they begin_

_Leaving life with Nye but sin_

He finished in a deep voice that resonated around the silent classroom.

I slowly raised my hand, afraid to break the silence and then, in a clear voice, I said slowly: "Durza Shade."

The rest of the day went by in a blur. I just couldn't stop thinking about that poem Orik had read to us. I didn't even realize when Roran tried to apologize in the hall and I walked right past him.

That got him really angry and, thinking that I ignored him, he started to yell angrily: "Hey, what the fuck is your problem?!", earning a few curious glances from some people in the hall.

"What?", I asked while looking up, surprised that someone was yelling at me.

"Oh never mind!", he said even angrier than before. He then stormed of in search of Katrina.

'Man.', I thought. 'What a sucky day.'


	3. Audition

:D betas are awesome.

Night is a funny time. Everything seems to run together around one o'clock in the morning. All your hopes, dreams and desires matter not through the haze that is lack of sleep. I don't know why, but tonight I just couldn't lose my eyes for more than ten minutes. Every time I tried he appeared: My Bane; the one I wish I could hate; Murtagh. He doesn't know I exist beyond a base level of brotherhood. Hell, we only knew of each others existence since the middle of last summer when his mother...  
Well, I guess I should say our mother died, leaving only a letter saying that I existed and telling uncle Garrow to care for him.

Just as I was about to turn out the light and try another round of sleep my cellphone rang. I picked it up immediately. It was easy to guess who it was: only one person called me this late at night.

"Hullo Saphira." I said, lack of sleep most likely evident in my voice.

She sighed. "I was hoping this would go to voice-mail. You really are turning into an insomniac."

That made me chuckle a bit. "You're always up whenever I call and I can't remember the last time you weren't on-line when I woke up at four o'clock."

"Well, that's me.", she said. And I smiled because I could tell she was sticking her tongue out at me over the phone.

"So what did you want?", I asked, getting right to the point. Sometimes Saphira and I can get so off-track we can't even remember what we wanted to talk about in the first place.

"Thanks for reminding me. I have decided you're going to try out for the school play tomorrow so I signed you up last week."

It took a few moments before what she said sunk in, but when it did...

"WHAT?!" I yelled, forgetting the volume of my voice for a moment. Thankfully, everybody but me in this house had no trouble with sleeping like logs.

"You did what?!", I demanded, my whisper practically cutting the phone.

"You heard me. It's time you actually got out there and showed everybody some of that magic of yours." I could almost feel her smiling as she said this.

"Oh.", I said. And with more than a little sarcasm in my following statement I continued: "Well, that would be wonderful, IF I DIDN'T HAVE CRIPPLING STAGE FRIGHT!"

'Jeesus', I thought. If I keep this up uncle Garrow's going to start worrying that I'm talking to myself again.

"Well, I've decided so that's that. I just thought I'd warn you before tomorrow and I didn't want you embarrassing yourself on the bus. Goodnight, little one."

She hung up before I could yell at her for using my old nickname. Just because I'm shorter than everybody else doesn't mean I'm little. But, at least, that bit of anger made me tired and I fell asleep, full of tension about tomorrow which was already starting in my lower back.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I woke up slowly to my buzzing alarm while dreams of failure and extreme embarrassment were still fresh on my sleep-deprived mind. What little sleep I had gotten had been filled with cracking voices and off-notes. I pushed off the thin sheet my uncle gave me and made my way to the shower which was, thankfully, just across the hall. I sleepily removed my pajamas, which consisted of boxers and one of those weird ribbed undershirts and turned on the hot water full blast, as usual. After 30 minutes of taking care of myself I turned off the water and slowly toweled off, trying to relax as best I could. Once that was finished I turned to the mirror and wiped away the condensation. Looking at myself I didn't think I looked half-bad. If I did more than run I would probably have actual muscles, but instead I was lean: I had a thin waist, broad shoulders and, sadly, a bit of a curve. If I had long hair I might be mistaken for a women, a fact I was reminded of in every gym. There was a creak behind me and I turned around quickly, forgetting that I had absolutely nothing on. And it appeared that I had been very "forgetful" this morning considering Murtagh, brother of mine, was standing in the doorway and yet there was no door.

I blinked. He blinked. I blinked again and slowly, not breaking eye contact, he reached in, grabbed the knob and pulled the door closed. And slowly, ever so slowly, I could hear him creek down the hall and back into his room, shutting the door behind him.

It took a moment but I almost had a panic attack right there. Breathing slowly I got the towel from off the floor and wrapped it around my waist. I then walked back to my room and got ready for a nerve-wracking and, most likely, a cry-worthy day at school.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The day passed in a blur. Between avoiding Murtagh, trying to apologize to Roran and regular school crap it was the end of the day before I could throw up. I was hoping to sneak out the back way of the school when someone grabbed my arm and started pulling me in the other direction. I turned and saw that it was Saphira… No wonder, I will never know how she is so strong and I refuse to admit that I'm just that light. A few minutes later we were in front of the auditorium and I was once again on the edge of a great puke-filled abyss. With a pat on my back for comfort she unceremoniously shoved me in and slammed the door behind me.

I slowly walked down the middle isle to where the drama teacher was sitting... Well, more like sprawling right in front of the stage. From the look on his face I could tell he was having trouble listening to the first few auditions without earplugs. I was about to tell him that I was here and ready to go on when I noticed who was sitting next to him. All my careful planning and avoidance went down the drain. There, right next to the teacher, was he… The guy I had spent the whole day avoiding, Murtagh.  
'What is he doing here?', I thought panicked. I opened my mouth and a squeak... Erm... I mean manly cough came rushing out before I could stop it, bringing my unnoticeable status to an end. They turned and the teacher was first to speak: "Hullo there boy, I hope you can at least make sure your voice doesn't crack when you sing 'cause nobody else today seems to be able to." I gulped which seemed to give HIM enough time to get himself together and say: "Oh Eragon, I didn't know you sang well, sorry about Neal's treatment. He's just upset that people aren't quite up to par with his expectations this year". "Neal", as I now knew the drama teachers name to be, huffed and motioned to the stage, not saying a word.

So there I went: one shuffling step at a time. The lights dimmed as I entered center stage and I squinted a bit as the spotlight flashed on. I stood there stunned until a not so quiet "Ahem" from Neal snapped me out of my reverie. Slowly I took a breath and started to sing...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A/N: He he he, till next time.


End file.
